The Doctor and his current companion, a boy named Adric, are summoned to the planet of Traken. Traken’s Keeper, who is about to die, needs the Doctor’s help to root out an evil which has established itself on their usually peaceful planet. Once they arrive on Traken, the Doctor realizes that this is no mere grouchy-pants alien he’s dealing with — it’s a foe he’s met many times before.

My thoughts:

I’m not reading the books in this series in order, but honestly I don’t think it matters too much. Each Doctor Who episode/story generally does quite well as a stand-alone story. The previous Doctor Who novel I read was also by Terrance Dicks, and his writing was great in this novel, as in the previous one.

One of the things that I love about these books is that I can see the action taking place in my head. It’s just like a Doctor Who episode, full of dialogue, interesting characters and lots of action. This book features the fourth Doctor — floppy hat, long scarf and all. He is accompanied by Adric, a previous inhabitant of E-space, and meets young lady named Nyssa in this story. I know that the story is based on an actual TV episode, but sadly I didn’t grow up watching Doctor Who, so it has no nostalgic value to me.

Now, this particular story line is interesting. It introduces us to a society in which one individual takes on the task of “keeping” the rest of society safe. The Keeper feels all of the emotions that are not conducive to a peaceful society, as well as being a wise leader and maintainer of order. One of the Doctor’s greatest enemies decides to take advantage of this amazing power and is very nearly successful in enslaving an entire planet. I don’t want to give you all the details, but it was a rollicking good adventure.

I recommend Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken to Doctor Who fans everywhere. Read it so that you can be thorough in your obsession with all things Doctor Who. 😉

Phileas Fogg, the stoic and predictable Englishman that he is, decides to go on a trip around the world because of a wager. He bets his whist companions £20,000 that he can make the trip in eighty days. Fogg’s servant Passepartout accompanies him, as well as a wily detective who believes Fogg to be a notorious bank robber. They have many adventures and setbacks along the way, even rescuing a damsel in distress, but will they make it back to London in time to win the bet?

My thoughts:

The first Jules Verne book I read was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I had my own copy lined up on the shelf in my bunk bed and it was my first introduction to science fiction as a kid. Ever since then, I’ve loved Jules Verne’s fantastical adventure stories.

Though Jules Verne is best known for his science fiction, this book doesn’t exactly fit into that category. It capitalizes on elements of the industrial age, such as the great strides made in dependable and quick transportation. It truly was a marvel how quickly one could traverse the globe, compared to what was possible only a short time previously.

The story is fairly simple — a man travels around the world as quickly as possible, encountering several obstacles along the way. That’s it in a nutshell. The character development isn’t stellar and there are a TON of place names, but despite those very slight criticisms, I loved the story. It’s so very readable and I love a good adventure story!

As far as classic literature goes, this book has fairly accessible language. It’s also a largely action-driven story, so those two considerations make this a good book to start your journey into classic literature.

I recommend Around the World in Eighty Days to fans of early science fiction and those who enjoy classic literature.

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After a crazy-long period of time, I’m finally set up to start filming videos again and to continue with my book hauls. These books were actually from Fall 2016, but it’s taken me this long to be able to share them with you. Let me know if you’ve read any of my new books and what you thought of them! Have a lovely day!

A group of children who are without families are tasked with saving the world from the nefarious Mr. Curtain. Does this group of kids have what it takes to foil the evil plans of a super-smart adult with seemingly unlimited resources? Follow them to the Institute where they will have to work together–using their cunning, skill and physical prowess to prevent Mr. Curtain’s domination of the entire world!

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this story, though it’s a bit hard to categorize. It reminds me of Harry Potter a little bit–with the kids going off to a special school. Though it’s classified as science fiction, I’d say that element doesn’t stand out very much. Sure, there’s Mr. Curtain’s invention which definitely falls into the science fiction category, but the remainder of the book seems as though it could happen in a very normal world.

The children whom the story revolves around are each interesting and unique in their own way. And I enjoyed following them on their adventures and seeing how their group grew closer over time. However, there seemed to be something missing from their characters. Maybe it was that they were missing the playfulness and humor that you normally see in children. There also wasn’t a lot of vulnerability. They were a little too much like adults for my taste. The supporting characters were interesting too, but their development seemed a bit stunted, as well.

The story line itself was interesting and inventive. I would like to have learned more about Mr. Curtain’s plan–specifically why he was going to such great lengths to gain control. If his back story had been more developed, it would have helped me understand his motivation. As it was, it came across as Mr. Curtain is evil because he’s evil. I see that there are additional books in this series, so maybe they will expand on the characters and back story at a more satisfying level.

I recommend The Mysterious Benedict Society to elementary-age kids and preteens. It would also be a fun read-aloud for families. I think it’s possibly a bit juvenile to appeal to high schoolers.